The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for applying a coating to a component.
Most fabricated articles require a coating to be applied to protect them against the environment in which they will operate. One of the most demanding environments is salt water, as encountered on seagoing vessels, in which mechanisms and components must be protected again the corrosive effects of the salt carried in the sea water. The maintenance of the components is an expensive and continuous process. Painting or coating of components is performed prior to exposure, but even then frequent replacement of intricate components where salt water may be trapped is necessary.
One particular application that has proven difficult to properly maintain is the sealing systems found on watertight doors used on seagoing vessels. The seals are contained within a channel formed from a lip of the door and a weldment to contain the seal. This construction provides various crevices in which protective coatings are difficult to apply and in which seawater tends to collect in use leading to rapid corrosion of the seal system and failure of the door.
It is known to apply coatings through the use of fluidized beds to components as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,444,032. The coating of a door assembly with a seal retention system does however pose further challenges, in particular because of the intricate nature of the seal retention system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the disadvantages found in prior systems.